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Originally Posted by gary_580
I wasnt suggesting that they should prove it beyond doubt. All that has happened is they have found methane and therefore they are saying there must be life. What assumption is this based on? its based on knowledge learnt from earth and not another planet. Who is saying that in another environment that methane isnt produced in a different way.
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I can see where you're coming from, but you do have to bear in mind that methane is only produced in a handful of different ways, either by combustion of carbon and hydrogen (i.e, the volcano theory, or something else hot enough to do it) or through decay of other organic compounds. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other explanation.
Of course, it could be that the fundamental principles of organic chemistry behave differently somewhere else in the solar system, which would cause scientists everywhere to have a fit.
At the end of the day, science is about peer review. Few scientists are bold enough to venture out with an opinion saying 'YES! This is definately what's happening'. I could be that this is the most important development in what we know about Mars for years, or it could be that someone else will say 'Ah, but what about...' tomorrow and debunk the theory.